Scrap Metal Purchaser/IMPD Employer Busted

Vic Ryckaert, writing for the Indianapolis Star, reports on a police raid that I imagine will get ugly before too long. Police and federal agents raided OmniSource on allegations that it knowingly purchases stolen scrap metal. OmniSource also reportedly employs 51 Indianapolis police officers while they’re off duty, making them one of the largest of such part-time employers of police officers.

With that information, there has to be at least the suspicion that these officers are employed by OmniSource for the purpose of keeping the heat off. Whether that is in fact true is not known.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department began a covert investigation into OmniSource a year ago. On Monday morning, officers seized records and property from six locations: 2205 S. Holt; 850 S. Keystone; 2210 W. Oliver; 1212 E. 25th; 2115 S. West St.; and 2916 S. Bluff Road.
. . .
High prices for aluminum, copper and other metal has driven the demand for scrap metal. Police say OmniSource officials knowingly purchased stolen copper, aluminum and other items, giving thieves an easy market for their stolen goods.

“This investigation is extremely important,” said IMPD Major Chris Boomershine. “This is a very large company.”

This might give a little bit more juice to SB 21 which passed the Senate on a 49-1 vote. That bill expands the requirements for scrap yards to include the source of the “valuable” metals they purchase and also to take a photograph of the person selling the metal. (In a bit of perhaps unwarranted self-congratulation, I’ll also note that the Senate committee amended the bill to change “scrap” metal to “valuable” metal, just as I had suggested when I looked at the introduced bill.)